Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A centralized freight asset monitoring system comprising: a first receiver comprising an interface that inputs communication signals, the receiver receiving in real time a plurality of wireless messages, in a plurality of differing first formats that are not an industry standard freight message format and are encoded particularly for bandwidth restrictions of wireless communication links over which the wireless messages are sent, from a plurality of intelligent electronic devices associated with a plurality of freight assets, the wireless messages containing information of a monitored event or condition of the respective freight asset, wherein the receiver stores the information in a memory that holds a database of the wireless monitoring system; a translator of the wireless monitoring system that translates in real time, utilizing a processor, the received wireless messages based upon the receipt in the respective first format into a message in a second format that is an industry standard freight message format used in an information system of a user of the freight asset; a transmitter comprising an interface over which the messages in the second format are transmitted for delivery into the user information system based upon the translation; a second receiver comprising an interface via which a message is received from the user containing a first command message to change a condition of a first freight asset associated with a first of the intelligent electronic devices and a second command message to change a condition of second freight asset associated with a second of the intelligent electronic devices; and a second transmitter comprising an interface that: responsive to receiving the first command message from the user, transmits, over the interface, the first command message to the first intelligent electronic device in the respective first format associated with the first intelligent electronic device; and responsive to receiving the second command message from the user, transmits, over the interface, the second command message to the second intelligent electronic device in the respective first format associated with the second intelligent electronic device that differs from the first format associated with the first intelligent electronic device.
A centralized freight monitoring system receives wireless messages from sensors on freight assets (like trucks or containers). These messages use compressed formats for efficient wireless transmission and contain data about the asset's condition (temperature, location, etc.). The system converts these messages in real-time into a standard freight format (like EDI or XML) used by the user's existing systems. The system also receives commands from users to change conditions on freight assets. It then translates these commands into the specific format required by each asset's sensor and transmits the formatted commands to the corresponding sensors to change operations (such as temperature or door position).
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a database that stores information of the user and the freight asset in a memory of the system, and associates the user with the freight asset.
The freight monitoring system described in claim 1 also includes a database. This database stores information about users and the freight assets they manage, linking specific users to their respective freight assets in the system. This linkage allows the system to tailor monitoring and control functions based on user access rights and asset assignments.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the database stores information of events or conditions pertaining to the freight assets, and associates those events and conditions with corresponding ones of the freight assets to which they pertain.
Expanding on the freight monitoring system of claim 2, the system's database stores information about events and conditions related to the freight assets (temperature spikes, arrival times, etc.). This information is associated with the specific freight assets to which it pertains, allowing users to track the history and status of individual assets. This is done through the database that stores information of the user and the freight asset in a memory of the system, and associates the user with the freight asset.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the events or conditions relate to at least one of actual temperature, set point temperature, location, speed, direction of movement, vibration, load, humidity, ambient gas, illumination, radiation, time of arrival at or departure from a specified location, door position, or presence of auxiliary equipment, of the freight assets.
In the freight monitoring system described in claim 3, the recorded events and conditions include, but are not limited to: actual temperature, desired temperature settings, location, speed, direction of travel, vibration levels, load weight, humidity, ambient gas concentration, illumination levels, radiation exposure, arrival/departure times, door position (open/closed), and the presence of auxiliary equipment. These various data points give users a comprehensive view of the state and conditions of their freight assets.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of transmitter elements that send messages to a plurality of intelligent electronic devices over multiple communication networks, and a plurality of receiver elements that receive messages from the plurality of intelligent electronic devices over multiple communication networks.
In addition to the components described in claim 1, the freight monitoring system uses multiple transmitter and receiver elements. This allows it to communicate with intelligent electronic devices on freight assets over different types of communication networks simultaneously, which optimizes coverage and reliability by using the most appropriate network type for a given location or situation.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the communication networks include satellite, cellular, microwave, laser, and radio frequency types of networks.
As part of the freight monitoring system in claim 5, the communication networks used for messaging include satellite, cellular, microwave, laser, and radio frequency networks. The system can dynamically choose the best network based on availability, cost, and bandwidth requirements, ensuring reliable communication with the freight assets.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the system provides freight monitoring services to a plurality of users; and for each of the users, the system provides monitoring services for a plurality of freight assets.
The freight monitoring system described in claim 1 provides monitoring services to many users simultaneously. Each user can track and manage a fleet of their own freight assets, allowing multiple organizations to use the same system without interfering with each other's data or operations.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of messages are communicated simultaneously to and from the system using multiplexing.
The freight monitoring system described in claim 1 uses multiplexing to handle communication with multiple freight assets and users concurrently. This allows the system to send and receive multiple messages simultaneously, improving overall system efficiency and responsiveness.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the industry standard freight message format is one of Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) format and Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) format.
In the freight monitoring system described in claim 1, the "industry standard freight message format" is Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) format or Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. The system translates the compressed wireless messages into one of these standard formats to ensure compatibility with existing user systems.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the freight asset is at least one of a freight car, a motor truck, a freight carried by a motor truck, a freight carried by a freight car, a temperature of freight carried, or a weight of freight carried.
In the freight monitoring system described in claim 1, the "freight asset" can be a freight car, a motor truck, freight carried by a motor truck or freight car, the temperature of the carried freight, or the weight of the carried freight. The system monitors and controls a broad range of assets to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of goods.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is utilized for: comparing contents of the first command message from the user to contents of a freight message from the first intelligent electronic device; determining if an exception condition exists based on the comparing; and responding to the first intelligent electronic device if the exception condition exists.
In the freight monitoring system described in claim 1, the processor compares the content of a command message from the user to the content of a message from the freight asset's sensor. If the comparison reveals an exception condition (e.g., temperature outside of acceptable range), the system responds to the intelligent electronic device. This allows for automated responses to critical events, such as adjusting cooling systems or triggering alerts.
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October 7, 2014
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